Disciplemaking Ministry: Communication of the Word

By:

Ted Johnston

2004, 2015

In writing that “all Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy
3:16a), Paul reminds us that God inspired the Bible. He also notes that the
Spirit uses Scripture to make us “wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus” (3:15b). The focus of the Bible is the gospel—the good news of God’s gift
of salvation in Jesus. This salvation is a gift (we can’t earn it), and we
receive and continue to experience this gift as we place our trust (faith) in
Christ Jesus.

Within this essential Christ-centered, gospel-focused
context, all Scripture (including the Old Testament, to which Paul refers) is “useful
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good
work” (3:16b-17, NRSV).

A disciplemaking youth ministry cooperates with the Holy
Spirit in this equipping by skillfully and persistently presenting the gospel
through the teaching of Scripture. As young people encounter the gospel, many
who are lost are found; many of the found begin to grow; and many grow to where
they become equippers of others—ably using Scripture to advance the Lord’s
disciplemaking good work on earth.

As youth ministry workers and parents, our challenge is
clear. We must present the gospel through the teaching of Scripture in ways
that engage our children, teens and college-age young adults. Thank God that we
have access to many great teaching resources to assist us. If you haven’t done
so recently, why not visit a good Bible bookstore to examine some of what is
available? If you’re looking for resource recommendations, check out the
age-graded resource page on the GCI Generations Ministries website at http://www.generationsministries.org/age-graded-resources.html.

Let me hasten to add, however, that there is no magic
teaching resource or method. More than any specific resource or approach, we
who are teachers (including parents) need a profound and continuing personal
encounter with the Word of God. Effective teachers prayerfully spend time
getting to know God in the Scriptures, and then share how his Word has impacted
their own lives. This is essential because our goal is to see Scripture
transform lives, not merely inform minds.

We, as teachers, must personally study the Bible and allow
it to transform our lives. Filled with God’s Word, we then seek to teach
effectively the gospel-centered message of Scripture to our students.

Let me share an approach that I have found to be useful in
teaching youths of all ages (adults too!). It’s a way to structure your lessons
with your students in mind. This approach is summarized in the acronym HBLT,
which stands for hook, book, look, took.

Hook

With any audience (youths in particular), you have only a
short time to connect. The purpose of the hook is to grab attention. In
designing your hook, ask yourself, how will this lesson be relevant to my
students? How can I help them become excited about this lesson?

Start by connecting with the real interests and needs of
your students. What’s on their minds? What are they struggling with? What are
their joys? Their sorrows? Their frustrations? Connect using a hook—often in
the form of a story, perhaps a piece of music or a testimony from one of the
students or from your own life.

Book

The focus of our teaching must be Scripture. Our goal is to
get youths into the Word so that the Word might get into them. But a note of
caution—the Bible is diverse; it covers a lot of territory and spans thousands
of years. All Scripture has tremendous teaching value—but remember the purpose
for all Scripture—it is given to us to lead us to Christ. Jesus himself told
some experts in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament): “You
diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess
eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to
come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40).

Scripture is a tool of the Spirit to bring us to Jesus. To
study Scripture apart from this purpose is to miss its message. So get your
students into Scripture, and get them connected with Jesus’ life and his
gospel. To do so is to have what might be called a Christ-centered,
gospel-focused approach to teaching. That’s what we want because that’s what
our students need.

As you discuss a particular passage or story from Scripture,
make it interesting. Make it an experience—not merely a presentation. Remember
how students learn at various age levels and teach in ways that will involve
and excite them at that age. Drama is a wonderful tool. Rather than merely
reading a passage of Scripture, lead your students in enacting the scene.

Don’t be afraid to help your students memorize passages of
Scripture. Young minds are like sponges, and helping them soak up Scripture will
help plant gospel truth into their impressionable minds.

Look

The purpose of the look step is to provide a bridge from
Scripture into the lives of the students. It’s vital for students to understand
how the wisdom and power of Scripture applies to the real issues they face day
to day. By constructing this bridge, you’ll help students understand that
Christ is the living Savior who cares about them personally and that his way is
relevant to their daily lives.

A helpful approach is to share your personal stories (and
those of others) to illustrate how the gospel has changed your life. It’s also
helpful to engage them in a group discussion of how the passage of Scripture
being discussed relates to contemporary life.

Took

In the final step, the teacher moves from illustration to application. An encounter with the Word
of God is not complete without an appropriate response. The teacher invites a
response by presenting example applications of what is being addressed in the
passage being discussed. Multiple examples are best, because it is rare for one
application to be universally relevant. By offering multiple examples, students
are encouraged to be open to the work the Spirit will do to apply the teaching
to their individual lives.

To help in the application process, it’s effective to
provide follow-up opportunities to implement the lesson learned. For example, a
service project might be conducted through which students live out a teaching
on serving others.

As youth ministry leaders and workers, let’s commit to growing
in our ability to establish and maintain the ministry foundation of the
communication of the Word. As we do, we’ll see our students become more and
more Word-directed in their daily lives. In this way they will mature as
disciplemaking followers of Jesus Christ.

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